Gun carriage



Jan. 17, 1933. GOEBERT 1,894,680

GUN CARRIAGE Filed Jan. 11, 1932 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR.

Elmer Eflnehert ATTORNEY GUN CARRIAGE 1932 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 E: C.GOEBERT Filed Jan. 11.

Jan. 17, 1933.

INVENTOR. Elmer E En Ebert BY W- WW ATTORNEY Jan. 17, 1933. E. c.GOEBERT GUN CARRIAGE Filed Jan. 11, 1932 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 R o m E V N IE lmer E Guehert BY 7 far K ATTORNEY Patented Jan. 17, 1933 ELMERGOEBERT, OF THE UNITED STATES ARMY, PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA GUNCARRIAGE Application filed January 11, 1932. Serial No. 585,928.

(GRANTED UNDER THE ACT OF MARCH 3, 1883, AS AMENDED APRIL 30, 1928; 3700. G.757)

The invention described herein may be manufactured and used by or for.the Grovernment for governmental purposes, without the payment to me ofany royalty thereon.

The subject of this invention is a gun carriage. V p

I The principal object of the present invention is to provide a guncarriage in which the pedestal may be readily lowered to an emplacedposition on the ground and elevated therefrom to a travelling position.

A further object is to accomplish the. foregoing movements throughrotation of the Wheels of the carriage and in the event of failure ofthe wheels due to lack of traction the elevation and depression may beperformed through the means normally employed to" hold the pedestalagainst movement.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, the inventionresides inthe novel arrangement and combination of parts and in the details ofconstruction hereinafter described and claimed, it being understood thatchanges in the precise embodiment of the invention herein disclosed maybe made within the scope of what is claimed without departing from thespirit of the invention. I A practical embodiment of the invention isillustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein: r

Fig.1 is a view in side elevation, with the near wheel removed, of theimproved gun carrriage shown in the travelling position.

.Fig. 2 is a similar View of the carriage in the emplaced position.

Figs. 3 and 4 are views in front elevation corresponding respectively tothe positions shown in Figs. 1 and 2. i

Fig. 5 is a sectional view on the line 55 of Fig. 7.

Fig.6 is a plan view. I

Fig. 7 is a sectional view on the line 77 of Fig. 5. I

Fig. 8 is a sectional view through one of the wheels.

Fig. 9"is a sectional view on the line 99 of Fig. 7. e

The gun carriage comprises a wheeled axle unit A on which is mounted apedestal B that rotatably supports a top carriage O. A cradle Dtrunnioned in the top carriage C carrles a reciprocab le gun barrel E. Apair of trail members FF each secured. to the 5 base by means of avertical pivot pin'5.

Referringto Fig. 8 the axle unit A includes an axle 6 whose spindles 77are each mounted in a bearing 8 of the wheels .9. A

brake drum 10 is secured to each wheel and a cover 11 for the drum issplined on the axle. A brake band 12 carried by the cover and actuatedby the linkage 13 (Fig; 6) serves to internally engage the drum 10 andthereby couple the axle and the wheel. An T actuating mechanism 14applies to the linkage 13 for both wheels.

A pair of spaced gear wheels 15-45 are fixedto-the central portion ofthe axle. A

block16 is journaled on the axle on the outside of each of the gearwheels and is formed on each side with a vertical flange 17 providing agroove 18. The vertical side of the front plate 19 and back plate '20 ofthe pedestal are provided with tongues 21 fitting in the grooves18 andenabling the pedestal to be guided in vertical movement relative to theblocks 16 on the axle.

Within the pedestal and vertically movable relative thereto is a rackmember consisting of a front plate 22-, a backplate 28, and a connectingbase plate 24 disposed underneath the axle. The side portions of theplates 22 and 23 fit between the plates 19 and 20 and the blocks -16 andare laterally'con- Y fined by the flanges 17 of the blocks. On theinside of the front plate 22 are a pair of spaced racks 25 25 eachmeshing with one of the gear Wheels 15 on the axle. per ends of theracks terminate short of the top plate 26 of the pedestal.

The base plate 24 of the rack member has a pair of extensions 2 727projecting beyond the front and back plates 22-23 and 7 adapted to seata helical spring 28 disposed within a partially cylindrical portion 29'on the front end on the backplate of the pedestal. The springs engagethe topplate 26 and yieldingly. support the pedestal. The portion 29 onthe back plate has a stiffening mem- The up- 35' and are held thereby inengagement with the ratchet wheel to prevent rotationof the shaft inopposite directions.

A lever 36 also pivoted .on the block 16be-;

tween the pawls is formed with a pair of opposed arms 3737whi ch uponrotation of the lever are adapted to selectively'cam one of the pawlsfrom engagement with the ratchet wheel; i I On one end of the shaft 31there is a ratchet wheel 38, for" application of a ratchet wrench39. f

In the travelling-position, Figs. 1 and 3, the pedestal is yieldinglysupported on the springs 28 and the rack member is locked to the axle 6through the pinions 32 on the shaft 31 which is held against rotation bythe pawls 34, 'The'axle is disconnected from the wheels so that'it doesnot rotate therewith. v The operation of 'e mplacing thepedestal bylowering it to the ground as seen in Figs. 2 and 4 consist in connectingtheaxlefto the wheels by applying the brake band 12 andthendisconn'ecting one of'the pawls 34"to allow for rotation of theshaft '31. 'The gun carriageis thenmoved and,:as the wheels turn, theaxle will berotated and the gear wheels 15fin'engagement with the racks25 will provide: a controlled lowering of "the rack member and thespring supported pedestal B until the'pedestal rests on: the ground inposition for firing; A reversal of the foregoing procedure restores thepedestal to the elevated or travelling position.

' When there is insufficient traction for the wheels to hold the loadduring elevating, the wheels are disconnected from the axle and theratchet wrench 39-is acted on to'rotate the shaft 31, whichfthrough itspinions 32 ro ftates' the axle and consequently elevates the rack memberand the'pedestal carried-there by. The rack member may belocked'againstmovement in-any position by-merely engaging both of the pawls 3,4:withthe ratchet wheel 33 on the shaft 31.

Iclaim; I 1

1. In a gun mount, an-axle; wheels on the axle, means for connecting thewheels and axlefor unitary rotation, guide blocksjoun -na'led on theaxle, gear wheels fast on the axle between thegu deblocks, a pedestalslidably mounted 1n the, guideblocks, a rack member slidably mountedbetween the (pedestal and guideblocks, racks on the rack membermeshwith'the gear wheels on the axle, springs earned by the rack memberand-support ng on the shaft, and pawls engageable with) the ratchetwheel.

, 2. In a gun mount, an axle, wheels on the axle, means for connectingthe Wheels and axle for unitary rotation, guide blocks journaled on theaxle,gear wheels fast on the axle between the guide blocks, a pedestalslidably mounted in the guide blocks, a rack member slidably mountedbetween the pedestal and guide blocks, racks'on the rack member meshingwith the gear wheels on the axle, springs carried by the rack member andsupporting the pedestal, a shaft journaled in the guide blocks, pinionsonsaid shaft meshing with the gear wheels on the axle, and means forlooking the shaft against rotation.

3In a gun mount,.an axle, wheels'on the axle, means for connecting thewheels and axle for unitaryrotation, guide blocks journal'ed on theaxle, gear wheels fast on the axle between the guide blocks, a pedestalslid- V ably mounted in the guide blocks, a rack member slidably mountedbetween the pedestal and guide blocks, racks on'the rack memberlmeshingwith thegearwheels on the axle,' spr1ngs carried by the'rack member I o5and supporting the pedestal, and means for locking the axle againstrotation.

l. In a; gun'mount', an. axle, Wheels on the axle, means for connectingthe .wheels'and axle for unitary rotation, guide b'locks journaled onthe axle, gear wheels fast .On'the 'means acting through said precedingmeans for locking the axle against'rotation.

axle between the guide blocks, a supportslidably mounted in the guideblocksprackson 5. In a gun mount, an axle, wheels onthe 7 axle, meansforconnecting the wheels and axle for unitary rotation, guide blooksjourrnaled on the axle, gear wheels'fast on the axle,

a support slidably mounted in the guide blocks, rackson' thesupportmeshing with the gear wheels on the "axle, means for rotat ing the axleindependently of movement of thewheels'and means acting-through saidpreceding means-for locking'the axle against rotation. r

6. In a gun mount, an axle, wheels on the axle, means for connecting thewheelsand axle for unitary rotation, guide blocks journaled on the axle,gear wheel s faston'the axle, a support slidably mounted'in thef'guideblocks, racks on the supportmeshing. with the gear wheels on the axle,and means for rotating the axle independently of movement of the wheels.

7; In a gun mount, wheels, an axle rotatable in the, wheels, means forconnecting the wheels and axle for unitaryrotation, a guide on the axle,gear wheels fast on the axle, a

support slidable on the guide, racks on the support meshing with thegear Wheels on the axle, and means for locking the axle against 5rotation.

8. In a gun mount, wheels, an axle rotatable in the wheels, a gunsupport, an elevating and depressing connection between the axle and gunsupport, means for holding the axle 10 against rotation, and means forconnecting the axle and wheels whereby the axle is rotatable by thewheels.

9. In a gun mount, an axle, a member movable vertically relative to theaxle, a re 15 silient suspension means carried by said member, and a gunpedestal carried by the suspension means.

ELMER C. GOEBERT.

